Shortage of medicines at hospitals due to e-procurement problems

KUALA LUMPUR: The current shortage of medicines at government hospitals nationwide is due to e-procurement problems and is supply related, the Dewan Negara was told on Thursday (Dec 20).

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the ministry had always paid serious attention to this issue, including directing suppliers to adhere to regulations even if it meant having to get supplies from other companies to ensure uninterrupted supply.

“The second problem is related to e-procurement, where the provision of medicine supplies is sometimes interrupted. When this happens, the hospital has to limit medicine prescriptions to patients from one month to a week or two,” he said in reply to a question from Senator Dr Zaiedi Suhaili during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara.

On another matter, Dr Lee reiterated that the ministry does not intend to abolish the RM1 fee imposed on patients seeking treatment at government hospitals.

“We will ensure that the welfare of the B40 group continues to be taken care of and they get quality treatment, but the government also has budget constraints. It is estimated that the services provided by the ministry offers at least 95% subsidy from the government,” he said. - Bernama